Shurasena, Shura-sena, Sura-sena, Śūrasena, Sūrasena, Surasena: 16 definitions



The Sanskrit term Śūrasena can be transliterated into English as Surasena or Shurasena, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)

Source: ISKCON Press: Glossary

Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—The father of Vasudeva and Pāthā.

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Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

[«previous (S) next»] — Shurasena in Purana glossary
Source: Puranic Encyclopedia

1) Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—A King of Yaduvaṃśa. General. Śūrasena’s kingdom was Mathurāpurī. This country was originally ruled by Kings of the Solar dynasty. Devī Bhāgavata, 4th Skandha explains how the Yādava Kings came to rule over Mathurā.

There was a region called Madhuvanam in the Kālindī river valley. Madhu, the Asura, who lived in Madhuvana had a son named Lavaṇa. Lavaṇa who was a tyrant and an oppressor of the gods, was killed by Śatrughna who established his rule there. In course of time, the place came to be known as "Madhurā". After Śatrughna’s time his two sons ruled over the country. Thus the Solar dynasty came to an end and Mathurā purī came under the rule of Yadus. The first King of Yaduvaṃśa was Śūrasena. Vasudeva, father of Śrī Kṛṣṇa was the son of this Śūrasena. After the death of his father, since Vasudeva took up the occupation of tending cows, Ugrasena became King there. Kaṃsa was the son of this Ugrasena. Other details.

(i) Śūrasena’s daughter Kuntī was adopted and brought up by the king named Kuntibhoja. (Mahābhārata Ādi Parva, Refer Chapters 67, 109 and 110).

(ii) Devamīḍha, father of Śūrasena had another name, "Citraratha". (Mahābhārata Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 147, Verse 29). (See full article at Story of Śūrasena from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)

2) Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—A son of Kārttavīrya. In Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Chapter 86, it is mentioned that this Śūrasena killed Jamadagni. (See under Śūra II)

3) Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—"Śūrasena was the old name for the region now known as Mathurāmaṇḍala or Vrajamaṇḍala. The natives of this place were called "Śūrasenas". The following pieces of information are given about the Śūrasenas in the Mahābhārata:—

(i) The Śūrasenas who were afraid of Jarāsandha, fled to the southern lands. (Mahābhārata Sabhā Parva, Chapter 14, Verse 26).

(ii) In the course of his southern campaign, Sahadeva conquered the Śūrasenas. (Mahābhārata Sabhā Parva, Chapter 31, Verse 1).

(iii) The Śūrasenas offered presents at Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya. (Mahābhārata Sabhā Parva, Chapter 52, Verse 13).

(iv) It was between the two countries, South Yakṛllomam and Śūrasenam that the Pāṇḍavas travelled from the land of Pāñcāla to Matsyadeśa. (Mahābhārata Virāṭa Parva Chapter 5, Verse 4).

(v) Śūrasenas were the body-guards of Bhīṣma during the Bhārata Yuddha. (Mahābhārata Bhīṣma Parva, Chapter 18, Verse 12).

(vi) The Śūrasena forces once stopped Arjuna on the way. (Mahābhārata Droṇa Parva, Chapter 91, Verse 37).

(vii) Śūrasena attacked Arjuna and Sātyaki in Bhārata battle. (Mahābhārata Droṇa Parva, Chapter 141, Verse 9).

(viii) Yudhiṣṭhira soaked the earth with blood by killing the Śūrasenas at Kurukṣetra. (Mahābhārata Droṇa Parva Chapter 157, Verse 29).

(ix) Bhīmasena butchered the Kṣatriyas of Śūrasena by hundreds. (Mahābhārata Droṇa Parva, Chapter 169, Verse 4).

(x) Kṛpācārya, Kṛtavarmā and Śakuni from the Pāṇḍava side fought against the Śūrasenas. (Mahābhārata Karṇa Parva, Chapter 47, Verse 16).

4) Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—A king who fought against the Pāṇḍavas from the Kaurava side in the Bhārata Yuddha. He stood by Duryodhana in the "Krauñcavyūha" formed by Bhīṣma. (Mahābhārata Bhīṣma Parva, Chapter 75 Verse 18).

5) Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—A king of the Somavaṃśa of Pratiṣṭhānapura. Śūrasena, who was childless, tried to propitiate the gods in many ways to obtain a son. In the end he got a son in the form of a serpent. But to keep it a secret, he performed the usual ceremonies connected with his son’s Upanayana, marriage etc. in the usual manner. At last by the mercy of Gautamīdevī Śūrasena’s son obtained human form. (Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, 111).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Śūrasena (शूरसेन).——(c)—the kingdom of Citraketu.*

  • * Bhāgavata-purāṇa VI. 14. 10; XI. 30. 18.

1b) A son of Arjuna (Kārtavīrya); a mahāratha.*

  • * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 23. 27; Matsya-purāṇa 43. 46; Vāyu-purāṇa 94. 49. 99. 325; Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 11. 21.

1c) The Lord of the Yadus and overlord of Māthuras and Śūrasenas.*

  • * Bhāgavata-purāṇa X. 1. 27.

1d) A son of Śatrughna: capital Mathurā.*

  • * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 63. 187; Vāyu-purāṇa 88. 186; Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 4. 104.

1e) The people of Śūrasena territory. Fought with their kinsmen and ended their lives;1 a kingdom of madhyadeśa;2 the tribe with Śūra as their chief: Pañcarathas: honoured Sagara and were killed by Paraśurāma;3 kings of the line, 17 in number.4

  • 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa I. 10. 34; 15. 39; IX. 24. 63; XI. 30. 18; Vāyu-purāṇa 45. 110.
  • 2) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 16. 41; III. 74; 138.
  • 3) Ib. III. 45. 1; 46. 17; 49. 5; Matsya-purāṇa 114. 35.
  • 4) Ib. 272. 17.

2) Surasena (सुरसेन).—A son of Karṇa.*

  • * Vāyu-purāṇa 99. 112.

3) Sūrasena (सूरसेन).—Praised the heroic exploits of Hari.*

  • * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 24. 63.
Source: JatLand: List of Mahabharata people and places

Śūrasena (शूरसेन) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. II.28.2, IV.1.9, IV.5.4, V.53.17, VI.10.38, VI.18.12, VI.47.7, VI.112.109, VIII.4.36, VIII.30.73) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Śūrasena) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.

Śūrasena is also mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. II.13.25, II.28.2, VI.47.7, VI.52.7) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places.

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Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Nāṭya-śāstra

Śūrasena (शूरसेन) is the name of a country pertaining to the Pāñcālī (Pāñcālamadhyamā) local usage (pravṛtti) according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 14. These pravṛttis provide information regarding costumes, languages, and manners in different countries of the world. It is mentioned that this local usage (adopted by these countries) depends on the grand style (sāttvatī) and the violent style (ārabhaṭī).

The Śūrasenas are usually to be represented by a dark or deep blue (śyāma) color when painting the limbs (aṅgaracanā), according to Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 23. The word can also be spelled like Śaurasena. The painting is a component of nepathya (costumes and make-up) and is to be done in accordance with the science of āhāryābhinaya (extraneous representation).

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Kavya (poetry)

[«previous (S) next»] — Shurasena in Kavya glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

1) Śūrasena (शूरसेन) is the name of a King whose capital is Mathurā, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 10.

2) Śūrasena (शूरसेन) is the name of an ancient king according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 34. Accordingly, “in old time a king named Śūrasena, who relied implicitly upon his servants, was enslaved and plundered by his ministers, who had formed a coalition”.

3) Surasena (सुरसेन) is the name of an ancient king from Surapura according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 56. Accordingly, as Nārāyaṇī narrated to a group of divine mothers (mātṛcakra) in presence of Candrasvāmin, who was listening from a tree: “... although this story makes me feel shame, still, friends, I will tell it. There is here, in the city of Surapura, a king named Surasena. He has a daughter renowned for beauty, named Vidyādharī.

4) Śūrasena (शूरसेन) is one of the two sons of king Pratāpasena, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 66. Accordingly as a prince said to Hemaprabhā: “... and that merciful god appeared to him [Pratāpasena], and said: ‘Thou shalt obtain one son, who shall be an incarnation of a Vidyādhara, and he, when his curse is at an end, shall return to his own world. And thou shalt have a second son, who shall continue thy race and uphold thy realm.’ When Śiva said this to him, he rose up in high spirits, and took food. Then he had one son born to him named Lakṣmīsena, and in course of time a second named Śūrasena”.

5) Śūrasena (शूरसेन) is the name of a Rājput from Śrāvastī, as mentioned in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 111. Accordingly, as Gomukha said to Naravāhanadatta: “... in that town there dwelt a Rājput, who was in the service of the monarch, and lived on the proceeds of a village. His name was Śūrasena, and he had a wife named Suṣeṇā, who was a native of Mālava. She was in every respect well suited to him, and he loved her more than life”.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Śūrasena, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.

Source: Shodhganga: The Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara

Śūrasena (शूरसेन) is the name a locality mentioned in Rājaśekhara’s 10th-century Kāvyamīmāṃsā.—It is one of the countries in north India and mentions the king Kuvinda once ruled over Śūrasena, according to Rājaśekhara. Mathurā or Muthrā was the capital of the kingdom of Śūrasenas.

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General definition (in Hinduism)

[«previous (S) next»] — Shurasena in Hinduism glossary
Source: Indian Historical Quarterly Vol. 7

Śūrasena (शूरसेन) is the name of a country classified as both Hādi and Kādi (both types of Tantrik division), according to the 13th century Sammoha-tantra (fol. 7).—There are ample evidences to prove that the zone of heterodox Tantras went far beyond the natural limits of India. [...] The zones in the Sammoha-tantra [viz., Śūrasena] are here fixed according to two different Tantrik modes, known as Kādi and Hādi.

In Buddhism

Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names

1) Surasena. One of the sixteen Mahajanapada (q.v.). It is mentioned with Maccha, and was located in the south of the Kuru country. Its capital was Mathura. It is famous in the Epics and the Puranas because of its connection with Krsna, and the Yadavas.

2) Surasena. A city in the time of Siddhattha Buddha, where the Bodhisatta was born as the brahmin Mangala. BuA.187.

3) Another name for Dhananjaya Korabba., 281.

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In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

[«previous (S) next»] — Shurasena in Jainism glossary
Source: The Jaina Iconography

Śūrasena (शूरसेन) (or Sūrya, Śivarāja) is the father of Kunthanātha: the seventeenth of twenty-four Tīrthaṃkaras or Jinas, commonly depicted in Jaina iconography.—Kunthanātha’s parent’s names, as may be gathered from the Jaina Purāṇas, are variously called Śūrasena, Sūrya, Śivarāja (Śvetāmbara version) for the father, Śrīkāntā or Śrīdevī for the mother. His father belonged to the Kuru race, and Hastināpura as his capital, where the Jina was born. He, like his predecessor, became an emperor.

Source: HereNow4u: Lord Śrī Mahāvīra

Sūrasena (सूरसेन) is the name of a village visited by Mahāvīra during his 24th Year as Kevalī.—Leaving Sāketa the Lord went to Kampilapura in Pāñcāla region. From there, wandering through Sūrasena, Mathurā, Nandīpura, etc, he came to Videha and spent the rainy season in Mithilā.

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India history and geogprahy

Source: Ancient Buddhist Texts: Geography of Early Buddhism

Sūrasena (सूरसेन) refers to one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas of the Majjhimadesa (Middle Country) of ancient India, as recorded in the Pāli Buddhist texts (detailing the geography of ancient India as it was known in to Early Buddhism).—In the Aṅguttara Nikāya, the Sūrasena country is mentioned as one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas. The country had its capital at Madhurā or Mathurā, which like Kausāmbī stood on the river Yamunā. The ancient Greek writers refer to the Sūrasena country as Sourasenoi and its capital as Methora. When Megasthenes wrote about the Sūrasenas, Mathurā must have formed a part of the Maurya Empire. During the Kushana supremacy, Mathurā again became important as a centre of Buddhist religion and culture. Numerous dated and undated images of Buddhas and Bodhisattwas as well as inscriptions have been unearthed here.

The Buddhist texts refer to Avantiputta, King of the Sūrasenas, in the time of Mahākaccāna who was the first among the chief disciples of Śākyamuni through whose agency Buddhism gained ground in the Mathurā region. In one of the Jātakas we are told that the Sūrasenas along with the Pañcālas, Matsyas and Maddas witnessed a dice-play between Dhanañjaya Korabba and Puṇṇaka Yakkha. The country had its capital at Madhurā or Mathurā, which like Kausāmbī stood on the river Yamunā.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit-English dictionary

[«previous (S) next»] — Shurasena in Sanskrit glossary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—m. pl. Name of the country about Mathurā or the inhabitants of that country; सा शूरसेनाधिपतिं सुषेणम् (sā śūrasenādhipatiṃ suṣeṇam) (uddīśya) R.6.45.

Derivable forms: śūrasenaḥ (शूरसेनः).

Śūrasena is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms śūra and sena (सेन).


Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—m.

(-naḥ) 1. The country about Mathura. 2. The name of a prince. E. śūra a hero, senā an army.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Śūrasena (शूरसेन).—[masculine] [plural] [Name] of a people; sgl. the country or a prince ([feminine] ī princess) of the [Causative]

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